Tämän testin alkuperäinen suomenkielinen versio löytyy Rockway-blogissa.
****
Slovenian company Flight focuses entirely on ukuleles and has been able to expand its range considerably in recent years. The design of the instruments is European, but the ukuleles are made in the company’s own factory in China.
Tampereen Musiiki has recently become the brand’s new importer in Finland, which I thought was a good opportunity to try out three different ukuleles from Flight’s range.
****
Flight’s NUT310(119 €; includes bag) is a basic tenor-sized ukulele with a rosette decorated with beautiful shamanic symbols, laser-etched into the wood.
The NUT310’s soundboard is made of sapele mahogany plywood, while the neck is carved from African okoume. The neck is made from one long piece, with one piece added for the neck heel and another for the peg head. The neck is glued to the body at the 14th fret.
The fingerboard and bridge of this tenor ukulele are made of walnut. The neck hold 18 well-installed frets. The position markers are round. Both the bridge saddle and nut are made of genuine bovine bone. The nut is 35 mm wide.
The Flight NUT310 has open, guitar-style tuners with black plastic knobs.
All Flight instruments have at least a strap pin at the soundbox’ butt end, allowing a standard guitar strap to fit without any problems.
The Flight NUT310 is comfortable to play and has a beautiful, round, and resonant sound.
****
The Flight DUC380CEQ (149 €; incl. gig bag) is a concert-sized ukulele with a cutaway and an active preamp. The DUC380CEQ is available in four different colors – amber, coral, topaz and jade (like the test instrument). The laser-cut rosette consists of Inca-style animals.
The soundboard of the DUC380CEQ is made of mahogany plywood, too, while the neck is made of okoume. The uke’s body has a beautiful cream-colored binding on both the top and bottom.
The neck structure is similar to the other two instruments in the test. The neck is glued to the body at the 14th fret.
The concert ukulele’s fingerboard and bridge are made of walnut. The fingerboard is decorated with black binding. The fingerboard holds 17 neatly installed frets. The position markers are finger-shaped inlays placed on the bass side of the fretboard, like on some Gretsch guitars. Both the compensated bridge saddle and the top nut are made of genuine cow bone. The saddle width is 35 mm.
This model uses modern closed tuning machines with black plastic knobs.
Mounted on the side of the bass side rim is Flight’s own FU-T3 preamp, which is used to shape the signal of the piezo mic located under the bridge. The preamp is powered by two button batteries, their compartment can be found at the bottom of the soundbox next to the output jack. In addition to a volume control, the FU-T3 preamp offers a three-band EQ, as well as an internal chromatic tuner.
Successfully installing a piezo microphone on ukuleles is relatively difficult, because the piezo works best when the strings are pressed tightly against it. Due to the short scale, ukulele strings are quite loose, which often results in the C and E strings sounding louder than the G and A strings. The DUC380CEQ that we tested also suffers from the same problem – so using a compressor is recommended.
Acoustically, the Flight DUC380CEQ sounds very beautiful, with the slight midrange emphasis typical of a concert ukulele. The ukulele is very comfortable to play.
****
There probably aren’t many ukuleles with a quilted ash body, but Flight’s DUS410QA (159 €; incl. gig bag) is just that. The strong cloud-like pattern on the plywood of this Flight model is very impressive. The top of the soprano model has a multi-layered edge binding, while the bottom of the body has a single-layer decorative strip.
A very beautiful walnut fingerboard is glued to the front of the okoume neck, where 12 frets are very neatly seated. The DUS410QA model’s impressive multi-piece fingerboard inlays are reminiscent of inlays on a 1930s Gibson Advanced Jumbo model. Both the walnut bridge saddle (compensated) and the instrument’s nut are made of genuine bovine bone. The saddle width is 35 mm.
Such an impressive instrument is just the ticket for gold hardware – a strap pin, as well as modern tuners with black (wood patterned) plastic knobs.
The Flight DUS410QA soprano has a suitably bright, yet strong sound, and it projects its sound surprisingly well.
The ukes have been recorded with a Citronic RM-06 ribbon microphone plugged into a Cranborne Audion Camden EC2 preamp. All EQ-settings were kept identical between the three models.
Most of us will have started learning to play the uke with an affordable instrument, whose soundbox is probably made – at least in part – from laminated wood. Over time our playing will have improved, making us feel that it was maybe time to step up to a higher quality uke, which in most cases will mean an all-solid instrument.
If you’re interested in the history of this diminutive instrument you will have noticed that C. F. Martin & Co is a legendary maker of ukuleles. Even though Martin is a company based in Pennsylvania, they have started crafting ukes during the ukulele boom of the 1910s already. Not content making mere copies of Hawaiian instruments Martin almost singlehandedly developed the ukulele further, raising the benchmark for how a great uke should look and sound in the process. Martin also sold bucketloads of the little instruments – their ”economy model” alone, the Martin Style 0, sold almost 90,000 units between 1922 and 1994, when the original production run ended (temporarily).
The Martin Company originally introduced three soprano models in 1915, named Style 1, Style 2 and Style 3. The higher the Style’s number the more intricate the cosmetic features, like bindings and rosettes, would be.
My personal favourite is the dark brown all-mahogany Style 2, which is why I’ve chosen three all-solid Style 2-copies for this review.
A word about friction tuners
Most ukuleles these days are made with geared guitar tuners, which make tuning relatively easy for beginners. This is due to the so-called gear ratio, meaning the number of turns on a machine head’s knob relating to a full turn of the actual tuner post. This is normally somewhere between 14:1 and 18:1, meaning 14 or 18 turns of the knob shaft will give you one full turn of the tuner’s post.
Friction pegs aka patent tuners
Originally, all ukuleles came with simple wooden friction pegs that kept the strings in tune by simple friction between the hole in the headstock (aka peg head) and the wooden peg. This is exactly the same type of system that’s still in use on violins or cellos.
In 1920 Martin started introducing new-fangled friction pegs – first on more expensive models, but then across their whole uke range – which offered a much smoother tuning action. Friction tuners contain no gears, meaning their ”gear” ratio is 1:1 (like on a wooden peg), but here the friction is caused by metal washers, or plastic washers, or metal springs, that are forced against the front and back surfaces of the headstock. Their ”action” or stiffness can be adjusted with the screw at the top of the tuning button.
I would never recommend giving a beginner an instrument with patent pegs, because learning to tune your uke properly is hard enough in the beginning. But there is no reason to be afraid of friction pegs, either, once you know the basics of tuning your instrument. Just keep in mind that very little goes a long way with patent pegs, when it comes to hitting the correct pitch. You should also keep the right screwdriver handy for quick adjustments of the pegs’ stiffness, which can shift between summer and winter, due to the headstock wood expanding and contracting according to the relative humidity.
Nowadays friction tuners are mostly found on vintage-style ukuleles, like on the three instruments reviewed here.
Flight is a Chinese brand concentrating mostly on ukuleles.
The Flight MUS-2 (current price in Finland: 199 €; incl. gig bag) is their version of a Martin Style 2 soprano ukulele. This is a beautiful instrument that invokes its vintage mojo with the help of a matte open-pore finish over a rich brown wood stain.
Flight’s own additions to the recipe include wooden body binding – instead of the celluloid plastic used on the original – as well as a cream rosette around the soundhole.
The Flight MUS-2’s neck is solid mahogany, too, but made of three parts, with the neck heel and the upper half of the peg head glued to the neck’s long main part. This way of doing things is both more economic and better for the environment than carving the neck out of a much larger wooden blank.
The Flight’s fretboard and bridge have been made from walnut, while the top nut and the bridge saddle are genuine bone.
The MUS-2 uses a set of Gotoh friction pegs, which employ plastic knobs, silicone washers and metal sleeves to build up the necessary friction for keeping the strings under tension.
Neck width at the saddle is 34 mm, which is the de facto standard for most modern soprano ukuleles, even though this is two to three millimetres narrower than on most vintage ukes. The MUS-2 has a scale length of 34.9 cm, which is three millimetres longer than on a Martin soprano.
The MUS-2 has a nicely rounded D neck profile.
The workmanship on the Flight is on a really high level. My only, tiny bit of criticism points to the matte finish which is something of a fingerprint magnet on the test sample.
The MUS-2’s string action is modern and low. I measured 2.4 mm at the 12th fret for the g-string and 2.1 mm for the a-string. The action and the nicely rounded neck make for a very comfortable playing feel. Despite the low action, the Flight offers a very good dynamic range without any string rattles.
The Flight MUS-2 has a surprisingly big and full-bodied voice that projects very well, both to the player and to his (or her) audience.
Ohana is brand situated in the US, but with most of its production in China. Ohana is the Hawaiian word for ”family”.
Ohana’s 38 Series comprises of all-solid Style 2-copies in different body sizes, with the Ohana SK-38 (current price in Finland: 348 €) being the soprano model.
Cosmetically the SK-38 probably comes closest to the spirit of a vintage Martin Style 2, except for the slightly larger-than-vintage soundhole (about 2 mm more in diameter) and the position markers copied off a Style 1 instrument. Our test sample was a tiny bit heavier than the Flight ukulele, but still super-light compared to most string instruments.
In terms of colour and finishing the Ohana SK-38 is almost identical to the Flight, with the finish seeming even thinner here. Visually the SK-38 evokes the pre-1926 Martins that sported a brushed on cellulose-based finish. In 1926 Martin phased in spray finishes to speed up production.
The soundbox’ top sports three-ply plastic binding (b/w/b), while the back is single-ply. The vintage-type rosette is made up of alternating thin black and white rings.
The Ohana SK-38 sports a modern solid-mahogany neck with separate parts for the neck heel and the headstock’s top half. The Gotoh patent pegs are the same model found on the Flight, too.
The fretboard and bridge have been carved from ovangkol. The top nut and bridge saddle are both bovine bone.
Neck with at the nut is 34 mm on the SK-38, while the scale length is 34.9 cm.
I would call the Ohana SK-38’s neck profile a slightly flatted C-profile, which comes close in feel to modern Martin soprano uke necks. In terms of playing comfort there’s not much to divide the three reviewed sopranos.
The SK-38 displays a very high level of workmanship; I own an older version of this uke – one that sports a nut and bridge saddle carved from ebony – and I must say the build quality on the new version has clearly improved.
The very low string action on the test sample is a good indicator of the quality of the fretting. I measured 1.3 mm for the g-string and 1.4 mm for the a-string at the 12th fret. Despite this low action I experienced no problems whatsoever with fret rattle.
The Ohana SK-38 has a very balanced voice with a tiny bit less bottom end and a tad more sparkle, when compared to the Flight. The Ohana projects very well.
Originally, Sigma Guitars was C. F. Martin’s far-eastern brand, founded to combat the ever-increasing flow of Japanese Martin-copies in 1970. In 2007 Martin sold the brand to German company AMI GmbH, who has done quite a lot to raise the brand’s profile. Apart from copies of Martin guitars Sigma’s model range now also includes several Gibson-style acoustic guitars. Sadly, Sigma’s ukulele range has been discontinued at the start of 2022, meaning that the current stock of Sigma ukes in shops now will be the last, at least for the foreseeable future.
The Sigma SUM-2S (current price in Finland: 315 €; incl. gig bag) looks a bit more refined than the other two instruments in this review, due to its flat matte finish. The finish is very thin, but has been buffed to a flat matte sheen.
The SUM-2S is in the same weight class as the Ohana SK-38.
Anoraks would say that the Sigma SUM-2S is more of a ”Style 2.5” soprano, because it comes with the longer fretboard – offering 17 instead of 12 frets – of a Style 3 (and Style 5) uke.
In some respects, though, the SUM-2S comes closer to vintage Martin specifications than the other two contenders in this review:
Arguably the most important point here is the one-piece mahogany neck, which is a genuine rarity in this price range. Other features include a 36 mm wide neck at the nut, a smaller soundhole, the vintage-correct size and spacing of the position markers, as well as the original (shorter) Martin-scale of 34.6 cm.
The fretboard and the bridge have been made out of Indian rosewood, while the top nut and bridge saddle are genuine bone.
The Sigma SUM-2S uses Chinese Ping friction pegs, which produces the require friction by pressing the plastic tuner knobs into fat plastic washers. These pegs have been in for some criticism in a number of reviews, but to be fair, I haven’t had any tuning problems with the Ping pegs over the whole duration of testing the Sigma uke.
The neck profile on the Sigma SUM-2S is fatter than on the Ohana, but flatter than on the Flight, combining the best aspects of the two necks.
Even though the difference in neck width at the nut is only two millimetres, the Sigma’s neck feels roomier. This can make a huge difference in feel for people with large (or thick) fingers!
The Sigma’s set-up is very comfortable. I’ve measured an action of 2.1 mm for the g-string and 1.8 mm for the a-string at the 12th fret. The fretwork is excellent, meaning I’ve experienced no string rattles.
Like the other two instruments in this review the Sigma, too, came with Aquila Nylgut strings. Due to the slightly shorter scale length the strings feel maybe a little bit too slinky. I’d recommend trying fluorocarbon strings on the SUM-2S, which generally tend to feel a bit stiffer.
At first I thought the Sigma was quieter than the other two ukes, when in fact it even offers more of a vintage-style ”bark” for the audience (or a microphone). The smaller soundhole simply makes this ukulele project slightly less in the direction of the player himself (or herself). In terms of its sound the Sigma SUM-2S is the brightest sounding of the three reviewed models.
Welcome to Kitarablogi.com’s ukulele round-up! Summer’s just around the corner, and the uke is the perfect little instrument to take along to the beach or to a BBQ party.
Originally, I had hoped to flesh out a more tightly defined round-up of ukuleles of a certain price and/or size. The new additions to the CITES-treaty, which deal with rosewood (among other things), and the still-growing popularity of the uke here in Finland, have forced me to make concessions, taking into account current availability.
This is a round-up of affordable ukuleles between 80 and 290 €. The aim of this article is not to find the ”best” or ”worst” instrument, but rather to give you a cross-section of currently available brands and models in this price segment in Finland.
We will proceed alphabetically…
****
Baton Rouge is a relatively young brand from Germany, specialising in ukuleles and steel-string guitars. Baton Rouge do their R&D and final quality control in Germany, but the instruments are actually made in their own factory in China.
Baton Rouge’s V4 Sun model range comes with gorgeous looking bodies made from curly mahogany. The very thin satin finish gives these ukes a satisfying tactile feel.
V4 Sun instruments come with bodies that are deeper than standard. They also feature arched laminated backs. The sun-moniker is a nod to the beautiful laser-engraved soundhole rosette.
Thanks to its deep body the V4-C Sun has a louder and deeper voice than you’d might expect from a concert uke in this price range.
If anything, the review sample of the Baton Rouge V4-T Sun looks even more luxurious than its smaller sibling.
Tenor ukuleles often find their way into the hands of fingerpickers, many of whom prefer slightly wider nut widths, like 38 or 40 mm. Despite its regular nut width of 35 mm the V4-T Sun’s neck never feels cramped.
Sadly, our review instrument suffered from a slightly too sharp neck angle, making the action impossibly low. I shimmed the bridge saddle for a much more manageable string height of a little over two millimetres, which put an end to string buzz and rattling. I’ve played a number of Baton Rouge guitars and ukes and have never before noticed any neck angle problems, so I’d write this off as ”the one that got away”.
The V4-T Sun’s neck profile is a rounded D.
With the shimmed bridge saddle the V4-T Sun displayed a healthy, warm and big tone.
****
Flight is a Chinese guitar and ukulele brand that is still quite new in Finland. In addition to its standard models Flight also offers aged ukuleles, as well as officially licensed Elvis Presley models.
The guitalele (also often spelled guitarlele) is the newest trend on the ukulele market, and marks something of a return to the uke’s roots. European immigrants brought their ”travel guitars” with them to their new home of Hawaii. Those instruments then became the forefathers of the modern ukulele. A guitalele is a tenor-sized six-string instrument, which is tuned to A (A-a), like a guitar with a capo on the fifth fret.
The Flight GUT350SP is a pretty and well made instrument. Despite its low price it even sports binding on the body and the fingerboard, as well as a neck with an adjustable truss rod.
The GUT350SP’s neck has been crafted from okoume (often called Gabon mahogany). The soundbox features a laminated spruce top and laminated back and sides made of sapele. The workmanship is crisp and clean.
The neck profile is reminiscent of a classical guitar – flattish and a bit angular. The instrument plays very well.
Flight’s GUT350SP maybe isn’t the loudest guitalele I’ve ever played, but it wins you over with its pretty voice and spot-on intonation.
The Flight NUS310 is an affordable soprano uke, and it even comes in its own stylish tweed bag.
The NUS310’s body is clearly wider than on most sopranos, in order to add a smidgen more bottom end to proceedings.
This is a well-made little instrument with effortless playability. The neck profile is a rounded C.
In my opinion the Flight NUS310 is a cool little soprano uke, offering a vintage-type sound and good intonation.
****
The Koki’o brand belongs to German uke-specialists RISA, who are best known for their electric and travel ukuleles. Koki’o is the Hawaiian name for the islands’ national flower the Hawaiian hibiscus. The brand offers a wide variety of different models.
The fretboard sports black binding. The rosette is made up of koki’o flowers, which have been laser-engraved into the uke’s mahogany top.
The Mahogany Concert comes with a deeper-than-standard body with an arched back. All Koki’o ukuleles come with two strap buttons installed. A very decent gig bag also comes with the instrument.
In terms of features, the Mahogany Tenor is virtually identical to the Concert, save for a slightly wider neck.
Our review sample must have slipped through quality control, because it comes with a strange cosmetic quirk. The body’s sides look like they’ve been bandsawed to a regular ukulele rim depth, before the worker realised his (or her) mistake, and then glued the pieces back on. The result is a very clean and thin saw/glue line all around the body. Structurally, there’s nothing wrong with this uke, it plays very well, but it just looks funny.
**** Ortega is a large maker of acoustic string instruments, combining German engineering and quality control with Chinese production.
Ortega’s RU5 is the cheapest instrument in this round-up, but this isn’t borne out by its high standard of workmanship.
This is a surprisingly well-made and well-playing little instrument.
There’s black binding around the fretboard, while the body has received tasty looking binding in faux tortoise shell. The graphics in the lower bout of the spruce top have been made with a laser.
The RU5’s neck profile is a rounded D. The playability of this affordable concert model is great.
The Ortega RU5 has a strong and open voice with a nice dose of clarity.
Ortega’s new model, the RUMG, is a concert-sized uke with a reverse ”electric” headstock, and a body made from laminated mango. Mango may seem an interesting choice, but the woodgrain looks a lot like very light koa.
For the slightly higher price tag of the RUMG, you will get wooden binding and the nicest gig bag in this round-up, too.
The neck feels great with its profile being a mix of soft V and oval C.
Ortega’s RUMG is a real shouter with a warm, full-bodied mid-range, punching well above its price bracket.
****
Tanglewood is Britain’s best-selling brand with a huge range of affordable to mid-price string instruments, which are built in the Far East. Tanglewood’s portfolio includes four different ukulele model ranges, of which Cove Creek is probably the most vintage-inspired.
Tanglewood’s Cove Creek TU-2ST is the only gloss-finished uke in this round-up. This soprano’s basic design stays true to the classics, save for the wood choices for the soundbox. There’s a solid spruce top, coupled with back and sides made of laminated bubinga.
The workmanship on the TU-2ST is extremely crisp. This soprano looks and plays great.
The neck profile on this Cove Creek is comfortably round and clubby.
A solid wood top naturally requires some playing in before ”opening up”, but I can state that the Cove Creek TU-2ST sounded great right out of the box. For a delicious vintage-inspired soprano sound you need not look any further.
Even though the TU-10 is clearly the most ”expensive” uke in this round-up, it actually is quite a steal, if you take into account the professional features of this instrument, like its one-piece mahogany neck.
The Cove Creek TU-10 clearly is an homage to the classic period of the ukulele with its open headstock, its maple binding, its pearl rosette, and its rich satin finish.
The neck profile is a medium-thick U.
The Tanglewood Cove Creek TU-10 offers you warm clarity and dynamic punch straight out of the box. As it is an all-solid uke its sound will only get better the more you play it.
****
Looks like it’s a great time for buying your first ukulele. You can find decent instruments even in the sub-100 € price bracket that will play and sound well. There’s also a wide variety of different brands and different uke sizes available in Finland these days. What are you waiting for?
Tervetuloa Kitarablogi.comin ukulelekatsaukseen! Kesä on jo ovella, ja ukulele on täydellinen pikkusoitin rannalle, mökille tai grillijuhlaan.
Aluksi suunnittelin tekeväni tarkemmin rajatun katsauksen, jossa olisi ollut mukana kultakin valmistajalta kaksi, speksien ja hinnan perusteella, tarkoin valikoitua mallia. Juuri voimaan tulleet uudet lisäykset CITES-sopimukseen, jotka koskevat mm. ruusupuuta (palisanteria), yhdistettynä ukulelen suosion räjähdysmäiseen kasvuun, pakottivat minut muuttamaan suunnitelmiani maahantuojien varastotilanteita mukaileviksi.
Tässä katsauksessa esitellään edullisia ukuleleja, joiden hinnat vaihtelevat 80 ja 290 euron välillä. Katsauksen tarkoituksena ei ole löytää ”paras” soitin, vaan sen sijaan tehdä pienimuotoinen markkinan läpileikkaus, josta selviää millaisia ukuleleja tällä rahalla saa.
Edetään aakkosjärjestyksessä…
****
Baton Rouge on suhteellisen uusi merkki Saksasta, joka on erikoistunut ukulelejen lisäksi teräskielisiin kitaroihin. Soittimien suunnittelu ja laadunvalvonta on saksalaista käsialaa, mutta soittimet valmistetaan firman omalla pajalla Kiinassa.
Baton Rougen V4 Sun -malliston soittimet ovat erittäin näyttäviä niiden kauniiden loimumahonkirunkojen ansiosta. Mattalakatut puupinnat on jätetty tarkoituksella hieman huokoisiksi, mikä antaa Baton Rouge -ukuleleille mukavan luonnollisen tuntuman.
V4 Sun -soittimissa on erikoissyvät, kaarevapohjaiset rungot. Sun-sana viittaa kauniiseen, auringon muotoisen rosettiin, joka on kaiverrettu kanteen laserilla.
Konserttikokoisen V4-C Sun -mallin soitettavuus on erinomainen. Kaulaprofiiliksi on valittu hyvin pehmeä, keskipaksu V.
Suuren koppansa ansiosta V4-C Sun soi hieman isommalla ja syvemmällä äänellä kuin ehkä odottaisi tämän hintaluokan konserttiukulelelta.
Testiin saapunut Baton Rouge V4-T Sun näyttää jopa vielä prameammalta kuin sen pienempi sisar.
Tenoriukulelet nähdään usein sormisoittajien käsissä. Monet heistä suosivat hieman leveämpiä otelautoja, 38 tai 40 mm satulan leveydellä, mutta 35 mm satulasta huolimatta V4-T Sunin kaula ei tuntunut minusta lainkaan ahtaalta.
Testisoittimessa oli valitettavasti hieman liian jyrkkä kaulakulma, minkä vuoksi se saapui testiin mahdottoman matalalla kieltenkorkeudella. Shimmaamalla tallaluuta hieman sain kielten korkeutta nostettua yli kaksi millimetriä, jolloin kielet lakkasivat rämisemästä nauhoja vasten. Olen kokeillut jo useampaa Baton Rouge -kitaraa ja -ukulelea, enkä ole tähän mennessä kohdannut ongelmia kaulan kulmissa – pidän tätä siis harvinaisena yksilövikana.
Kaulaprofiili on V4-T Sun -mallissa pyöreä D.
Shimmauksen jälkeen V4-T Sun soi erittäin terveellä ja voimakkaalla äänellä.
****
Flight on kiinalainen kitara- ja ukulelebrändi, joka on meille Suomessa vielä melko uusi tuttavuus. Perusmallien lisäksi Flight tarjoaa myös relikoituja ukuleleja, sekä virallisia Elvis Presley -malleja.
Guitalele (kirjoitetaan myös usein guitarlele) on uusin suuntaus ukulelemarkkinoilla, vaikka se onkin tavallaan paluu ukulelen juurille. Eurooppalaiset maahanmuuttajat toivat aikoinaan omia ”matkakitaroitaan” mukanaan Havaijille, joista sitten ukulelet kehittyivät. Nykyaikainen guitalele on kuusikielinen soitin tenorikokoisella kopalla. Viritys vastaa kitaraa, jossa on kapo viidennellä nauhalla (A-a).
Flight GUT350SP on hyvin siististi tehty soitin, joka tarjoaa maltillisesta hinnastaan huolimatta reunalistoitukset kopassa ja otelaudassa, sekä säädettävän kaularaudan.
GUT350SP:n kaula on veistetty okoumesta, joka tunnetaan myös nimellä gaboninmahonki. Koppa taas koostuu kuusikannesta ja sapellipohjasta (ja sivuista). Työnjälki on kauttaltaan siistiä.
Kaulaprofiili on lainattu klassisesta kitarasta – laakea ja suhteellisen leveä. Flightin soitettavuus on mukavan vaivatonta.
Flight GUT350SP ei ehkä ole kovaäänisin kaikista kokeilemistani guitaleleista, mutta sillä on hyvin kaunis ääni. Myös Flightin intonaatio on mukavasti kohdallaan.
Flight NUS310 on edullinen sopraanoukulele, joka myydään omassa laadukkaassa tweed-bägissään.
NUS310 eroaa keskivertosopraanosta leveämmällä rungollaan, jonka on tarkoitus lisätä pienikokoisen soittimen soundiin hieman muhkeutta.
Työnjälki on hyvin siistiä ja Flightin soittotuntuma on mukava. Kaulaprofiiliksi on valittu pyöreä C.
Minun mielestäni Flight NUS310 on mainio perussopraano vintage-tyylisellä soundilla ja hyvällä intonaatiolla.
****
Koki’o-brändin takana on saksalainen ukulelespesialisti RISA, joka on tunnettu erityisesti matka- ja sähköukuleleistaan. Koki’o on nimetty havajilaisen hibiskuksen mukaan, ja se tarjoaa laajan valikoiman akustisia ja mikitettyjä ukuleleja.
Otelauta on saanut koristeeksi mustan reunalistoituksen. Mallin rosetti koostuu koki’o-kasvin kukkasista, jotka on kaiverrettu laserilla mahonkikanteen.
Mahogany Concertissa on perinteistä syvempi runko kaarevalla, muotoon prässätyllä pohjalla. Koki’o:n kaikissa soittimissa on kaksi hihnatappia valmiiksi asennettuna. Myös laadukas topattu pussi kuuluu hintaan.
Kaulaprofiiliksi on valittu verraten ohut, ovaali C.
Ominaisuuksiltaan Mahogany Tenor vastaa lähes täysin Concertia, paitsi että Tenorissa on hieman leveämpi otelauta.
Testiyksilö näyttää olevan ns. maanantaikappale, vaikka soittimen työnjälki on sinänsä hyvin siistiä. Ukulelen sivuissa on nimittäin nähtävissä hieno sahausjälki/liimasauma. Joku on tehtaalla ilmeisesti sahannut sivut ensin perinteiselle ukulelelle sopiviksi, tajunnut sitten virheensä ja liimannut sen jälkeen molemmat sivut taas siististi yhteen. Vika on ainoastaan kosmeettinen, eikä se vaikuta lainkaan Mahogany Tenorin hyvään soitettavuuteen.
**** Ortega on iso, kielisoittimiin erikoistunut saksalainen brändi, joka yhdistää saksalaista suunnittelua ja laadunvalvontaa kiinalaiseen tuotantoon.
Ortega RU5 on tämän katsauksen edullisin soitin, mitä on sen laadun perusteella vaikea uskoa.
Työnjälki on ukulelen hintaan nähden erinomaisen siistiä.
Otelauta on reunalistoitettu mustalla muovilla, kun taas kopan reunoja koristaa läpikuultava kilpikonna-kuvioitu muovilista. Kuusikannen grafiikka on kaiverrettu siihen laserilla.
RU5:n kaulaprofiiliksi on valittu pyöreä D. Konserttimallin soitettavuus on erinomainen.
Ortega RU5 soi kauniilla, selkeällä ja dynaamisella äänellä.
Ortegan uutuusmalli RUMG on konserttikokoinen ukulele käänteisellä sähkökitaran viritinlavalla, sekä mango-puusta tehdyllä kaikukopalla. Mango vaikuttaa ensisilmäykseltä ehkä hieman epätavalliselta valinnalta, mutta sen ulkonäkö muistuttaa aika lailla hyvin vaaleaa koa-puuta.
Epätavallisen puun lisäksi, tämän Ortegan hieman korkeampaan hintaan saa myös puiset reunalistoitukset otelaudan ja kopan ympärille, sekä tämän katsauksen selvästi laadukkaimman gigbagin.
Kaulan profiili on mukavan tuntuinen sekoitus pehmeää V:tä ja ovaalia C:tä.
Ortega RUMG:n armoton atakki ja soittimen täyteläinen keskialue tekevät tästä konserttiukulelesta erittäin vahvaäänisen.
****
Tanglewood on suuri kielisoitinbrändi Englannista, joka teettää omat luomuksensa Kiinassa ja muissa Aasian maissa. Tanglewoodilla on peräti neljä ukulelemallistoa, joista Cove Creek on ehkä perinnetietoisin.
Tanglewood Cove Creek TU-2ST on tämän katsauksen ainoa kiiltäväksi lakattu soitin. Ulkomuodoltaan perinteiseen sopraanoon on valittu kokopuinen kuusikansi, sekä bubingavaneriset sivut ja takakansi.
TU-2ST:n työnjälki on erittäin korkealla tasolla ja soitin saapui testiin erinomaisissa säädöissä.
Cove Creekin hyvin pyöreä ja keskipaksu kaulaprofiili tuntuu oikein mukavalta.
Kokopuinen kuusikansi vaatii luonnollisesti hieman pidempää sisäänsoittoa, mutta jo tämän testirupeaman perusteella voin todeta, että Cove Creek TU-2ST:stä lähtee herkullisen vanhahtava sopraanoukulelen soundi.
Vaikka TU-10 on tämän ryhmän selvästi kallein soitin, on sen hinta itse asiassa melko edullinen, sillä tämä konserttiukulele tarjoaa pro-luokan ominaisuuksia, kuten esimerkiksi yksiosaisen mahonkikaulan.
Cove Creek TU-10 on perinteitä kunnioitava soitin avoimella viritinlavalla, vaahteraisella reunalistoituksella, helmiäisrosetilla, sekä kauniilla mattaviimeistelyllä.
Kaulaprofiiliksi on valittu keskipaksu U.
Tanglewood Cove Creek TU-10:n ääni soi erottelevasti, lämpimästi ja vahvasti jo suoraan paketista tulleena. Kokopuiselta soittimelta on odotettavissa vielä lisää soundin kypsymistä ja kukkimista säännöllisen soittamisen ansiosta.
****
Tämän katsauksen perusteella näyttää vahvasti siitä, että nyt olisi hyvä aika aloittaa ukulelen soittoharrastus. Jopa alle 100:n euron hintaluokassa on tarjolla laadukkaita soittimia, joilla soittaminen on hauskaa. Myös eri merkkejä, malleja ja kokovaihtoehtoja on nykyään Suomessakin laajalti saatavilla.
Kitarablogi.com – Finland's premier Guitar and Bass blog 